The giant red cardboard letters spelling the word “moms” stood out in the gray Atlanta drizzle Wednesday, held up between the state Capitol and more than one thousand people rallying outside, demanding that the lawmakers inside tighten up gun laws.
Tag: Legislature
Posted inLatest News
Atlanta lawmakers work on plan to phase in property assessment spikes
Atlanta state lawmakers are working on a bill to phase in property tax assessments slowly, help protect residents with a bigger homestead exemption, but also force the Fulton County tax assessor’s office to value properties correctly.
Posted inLatest News
House, Senate publish transit rework bills, with clock ticking on state legislative session
Both the state House and state Senate seem to have agreed on a collective name for transit in metro Atlanta: The ATL. Now they have about six weeks left in their session to decide what that big ATL might be and how it will work.
Posted inLatest News
Emerging details on transit proposals spark questions among Atlanta lawmakers
A new, 10-member transit governance board is expected to be one among several proposals in the state Legislature that will be the first words in a long-awaited debate about how to deepen regional cooperation over transit, and possibly initiate substantive spending by the state for buses and rail.
Posted inLatest News
Atlanta’s state agenda not approved by city council, including planned sales tax extension for water, sewer
Atlanta doesn’t have a state legislative agenda that’s been approved by the Atlanta City Council. That’s because then Mayor Kasim Reed didn’t present a proposed agenda to the council last autumn amid the buzz over the general and run-off elections, according to two members of the administration who spoke at Wednesday’s meeting of the city council’s Finance/Executive Committee.
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Lawmakers finishing details on possible 13-county metro transit proposal
By early next month, Georgia lawmakers will publish a plan to deepen cooperation among and increase spending on metro Atlanta’s public transit agencies. They’ve got a big job, looking for a way to unify a region and minimize difficulties in an always-expensive, now fragmented, and sometimes contentious area of public policy.
Posted inLatest News
Atlanta leaders work on legislative agenda: thinking affordability, assessments and airport
Atlanta’s elected officials under the Gold Dome and at City Hall are working against a tight state deadline to figure out if they want to lobby for new laws or flexibility to set policy on affordability, renters’ rights, tax assessments and more. On Friday, new Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms and near a dozen of Atlanta’s […]
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New year brings new talks of prospects for metro Atlanta transit expansion
Listen around official Atlanta at the beginning of 2018, and it seems that buses and rail might be one of the themes of the year.
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Fulton leaders may seek state help to blunt property tax spikes
In the aftermath of a taxpayers’ revolt over a surge in many 2017 Fulton County home property tax bills, local government leaders are trying to figure out how to dodge the pitchforks and torches next time. A cap on home property tax increases could be part of the plan.
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Funding dog, cat sterilization; removing a typo from ‘Go Braves’ specialty tag
The Atlanta City Council is slated on Monday to urge state lawmakers to pass a law that would increase the amount of money a state department receives from the sale of special license plates to fund the sterilization of dogs and cats. The bill also would fix an apparent typo on the state’s “Go Braves” tag.
Posted inHome Mortgages, Thought Leader, Thought Leadership
Avoid Being a Victim of Mortgage Fraud
Just this week a federal judge sentenced a former Auburn attorney to nearly four years in prison for mortgage fraud. James Boyd Douglas Jr. handled mortgage refinancings and real estate closings and was found guilty of embezzling $2.3 million from clients. An Atlanta area woman and her brother ran a real estate scam in Baldwin County […]
Posted inHome Mortgages, Thought Leader, Thought Leadership
Consumer Will Benefit From Simpler Mortgage Disclosure Form
For more than 35 years, two federal laws (the Truth in Lending Act or “TILA,” and the Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act or “RESPA”) have required lenders and settlement agents to give consumers who take out a mortgage loan separate but overlapping disclosure forms regarding the loan’s terms and costs. This duplication has long been […]
Posted inHome Mortgages, Thought Leader, Thought Leadership
Basel III To Change Mortgage Landscape
The mortgage industry has undergone many significant changes as a result of the financial crisis. One of the less known pending changes is about to take its final form and in its current draft Basel III will increase consumer costs and reduce consumers’ choice of mortgage providers. Basel III requires that a bank must maintain common […]
Posted inHome Mortgages, Thought Leader
Tips for Applying for a Mortgage
While most of us have never had the unpleasant experience of sitting in a police interrogation room, fans of crime TV shows like me will recognize this scenario. “I’ve already told you what I witnessed on the night of October 22, 2011 seven times,” says the frustrated and exhausted witness. “Well, it’s time to tell […]
Posted inHome Mortgages, Thought Leader, Uncategorized
Lobby Day Beneficial for Consumers, Industry
The mortgage industry has had to deal with so much new legislation on the federal level lately. We’d prefer to just be able to do our jobs without dealing with the consequences of new laws. Fortunately, on the state level, we are able to meet personally with legislators and educate them on possible consequences of […]
